The Netherlands, 2009
We are living in an incredible time aren’t we? It is an awesome time to be known as the people of God. As His people, God has called us to bring a radiant idea of who He is in the earth. I believe that is one of the reasons He has called Aglow forth.
Do you think of yourself as being a radiant idea of the Kingdom and of God?Romans 14:17 says, for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And I love what it says in another version. It says, the Kingdom of God is about what God does in your life. He sets it in right order. He puts it together and He completes it with joy. Don’t you love that?
In 3 John it says, I pray that you may prosper in all things. That you would be in health just as your soul prospers. We are living in a time of increased revelation. It is a time when He is not giving us a vision for the functionality of ministry. It is a time when He is giving us Himself. He is changing the order by which we have known Him. Maybe you have noticed that the ways you have accessed Him in prayer are changing. You feel like something has shifted. It is a time when you are feeling after God in a greater way. Is this true for you?Time for an Upgrade
God is giving us an upgrade. He is taking us to a higher place in Him. He wants us to live Heaven to earth not earth to Heaven. He wants to change your address.
A few years ago I was in Hawaii and I was spending time in the Word. I heard the Lord say to me so clearly, You can read the Word from Heaven’s perspective or you can read it from earth’s perspective. Have you ever thought about that?There are times when we are grabbing hold of a scripture, but God wants to bring an upgrade in our lives. He wants to bring us to a greater place of believing and of knowing who He is for us. He wants us to read the Word and to know Him from Heaven’s perspective, not our own perspective.
He allows circumstances and situations to come into our lives, to align us with Heaven and to align us with His will and His purpose. He allows these things to expand our idea of who He is and who He wants to be for us. Difficult times press us in to know Him in a greater way. He is forming something new in you. He is forming something new in Aglow. I believe He is calling out a remnant among His people.
This something new is about your encountering a deeper relationship with Him.I do not know if you know Graham Cooke. He is a speaker and author. He recently said, You are going to get a vision about something with God that will wreck your world because He is bringing you into a new place. He is giving you a new vision. He is giving you a greater understanding of who He is. You have permission to go higher, to occupy a higher place of revelation.
During a recent surgery, one of the things that was said to me was, I wonder what you will discover God to be in this time, that you did not know Him to be before. I had peace that passes the understanding during the whole situation with a diagnosis of breast cancer. I felt totally at rest. I knew that what was happening – the diagnosis - was not a part of the Kingdom. It had to go.We are living in a time where we can choose how we are going to live. Amen?
Awakening to Your Purpose
Part of the ministry of Aglow, as you well know and have experienced, is about being awakened to the prophetic purpose of God for your life and what God ultimately intends to do through the man and the woman together. God’s plan for the man and woman is not found just in marriage. It is through each gender working together to express the prophetic purposes of God in the earth.
There was prophetic purpose spoken in the garden and until that word comes into fruition, His purpose will only remain a prophetic word.
A prophetic word shows us the intentionality of God. Prophecy is history written in advance and prophecy unlocks the intentionality of God. Prophecy declares to the world, this is how it will be.
I believe that what God spoke in the garden found in Genesis 1-3 is one of His ancient promises that will yet be fulfilled. God called forth Aglow in this hour to awaken the women of the world. And as women have awakened, He has awakened men to His prophetic purposes so that we might become the fulfillment of that ancient prophecy.Our prophetic purpose has to do with the ancient curse in Genesis 3:15. Where the word went forth, he deceived me and I ate. So the Lord spoke a word over Satan. He said, Because you have done this cursed shall you be and on your belly you will crawl the rest of your days. And you will eat dust all the days of your life. That is an ancient curse that overrides an ancient prophetic word, spoken by God Himself. It will come to pass. That was prophecy. It is history written in advance and you are a part of the fulfillment of that word.
Aglow is at the sharp end of that fight because it is primarily a women’s organization. However God is bringing men in as well. Together we are about divine displacement of the enemy. This is why God’s giving us an upgrade. It is why He continues to beckon us to live Heaven to earth. It is why He is giving greater revelation. It is why He wants to change your address.
The enemy has feared the call on the woman’s life. He has worked hard to come against us, because he fears what God created us to be in the earth. Aglow is at the sharp end of this fight.
As I said the enemy has come against women in many ways. He has come to silence us, discourage us, and to cause us to be powerless and useless. But God is saying it is time to rise even higher.
A Time to Rise
In November of 2007 we were thinking about sending out Christmas cards. Because they go all over the world, we start early. We were picking out a card and we wanted a nice verse on the inside. I said, Lord what is it You want the card to say? His reply came quickly. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe. (John 14:1)
At the time I am thinking about the economic crisis the world is in. I am thinking of the things we read and hear on the news daily. We are living in a very different world, a very different time then a few years ago. His reply made sense to me. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe! Little did I know what I would have to believe for in a personal way.
As I said earlier, now is the time to choose where you will live. Everyone in this room faces some stress or difficulty. It is the way of life. But God is calling out a people for Himself. He is calling a people forth to bring a radiant idea of who He is.
The Word says in Isaiah 60 that the world will grow darker and gross darkness will cover the people. But His people will be covered in light. They will arise in light. There is a time every one of us will have to choose where we will live. Do you want to live Heaven to earth or earth to Heaven?
Believe
God is changing our address. Even though we have known Him - even though we have walked with Him many years, the sense of revelation and the hovering of His spirit - the brooding of His spirit over us is profound. You get to choose what you believe. And the Word is, Let not your heart be troubled by what you see. Do not let your heart be troubled by what the world says or by the reports on television. Do not let your heart be troubled by the reports of doctors. You choose what you believe.
In John 20, Thomas is being asked to believe. And he said, I can’t believe unless I see and touch and feel. I want to put my hands and touch the nail pierced hands of Yours. I want to see Your side. Unless I can see, I can’t believe. And the Word of the Lord came back to Thomas. Okay Thomas, reach out your hand and touch. Yet the greater part of the word to Thomas was, Thomas, Do not be unbelieving. Believe in Me! He is saying that to you tonight. Do not be unbelieving. Believe! Believe Me so that your heart is not troubled!
We live in a computer age. You have to have a password to enter into your computer. What if there is a password to enter the realm of the kingdom? You know what the password is? I made it up. I think it is, Believe!
When you enter into salvation what is the password? I believe! Because you believe, you receive. How did your receive the Holy Spirit? You heard about it. You heard the truth and you said, I believe! So salvation became yours. Every step forward in our life we have to give the password. Heaven is waiting to hear you say, “I believe!”
In November I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. When I went to the doctor I thought it is nothing. And the doctor said, It is nothing. Then they did the test, and it came back positive.
From the moment I heard the diagnosis of earth, a peace enveloped me. I was not afraid. I was not trying to not be afraid. I was not trying to be strong. I merely chose what I was going to believe.
We are either going to live by the truth of Heaven or what earth declares over us.
If we are here to bring a radiant idea of God, there is a password to that. And the password is, I believe You above everything!
About the diagnosis of cancer, I said to my daughter, Lisa, I’m not in denial. But this disease has no place in me. It’s out of place. I had a choice. Where was I going to live?
I cannot tell you how long I have been yearning to see more miracles in the body of Christ. We are all walking miracles. The scripture in Romans 14 that I read earlier about God putting our lives in right order and then He wraps it up in joy and peace - That is how He wants us to live. That is our reality. If that is not our reality, then why are we here? We are here to bring a picture to the world that shows them Heaven’s realities can be found while on earth. We are here to show that a loving Father shows forth His glory in the earth through His children.
A radiant idea of God shows the light of God. That radiant idea shows the light of the Kingdom. It shows the life of the Kingdom. Everything He does, He does to glorify Himself. Remember what He said to Moses. He said I’ll make you as God to Pharaoh. You’ll speak the words that I give you. And Pharaoh will harden his heart. Why? Pharaoh hardened his heart because he did not believe.
We have a choice every day. We have a choice 24 hours a day. Where are we going to live? What are we going to believe? Is our life randomly lived according to the status of the economy? Do we live according to a diagnosis? No. We are citizens of Heaven and our life is lived in another realm.
We are not in denial; we are walking in truth and in light. Amen. Say, I believe!
I received an email from a close friend, Graham Cooke. He had given a profound, prophetic word over Aglow, two months before. He said, Isn’t it interesting what God spoke over you and the ministry of Aglow already knowing what was going on in your body? Yet God was saying, No, this is what I purposed for you. Not cancer. Do you believe that what God purposes for us is life? Do you believe it for yourself?
Thrive, Don't Just Survive
Graham said in his email, You will live to see everything through that God has tasked you with. There is yet much to accomplish. Begin to fight using the prophecies God has spoken over you and the ministry. Now listen to this. When you go through hell you must prosper. That is the point of going there. Jesus took captivity captive. We have a spirituality that permits us to thrive, not just survive.
Now think about those statements. When you go through hell, you must prosper. We have a spirituality that permits us to thrive, not just survive. I would consider that many people in this room have had hellish experiences in their lives.
When Jesus went into hell, He took captivity captive. He came out victorious over death, hell, and the grave. His intention is that when you go through these difficult experiences, you also come out victorious - that you take captivity captive. That is the purpose of your having this hellish experience. Not to escape by the skin of your teeth. You are to prosper!
You Have Been Given All Authority
Remember when Jesus sent out the 70, two by two? (Luke 10:17) When they came back they said to Jesus, Even the demons are subject to us, in Your name! Jesus’ response was, Well I saw Satan fall from Heaven.
Jesus wants us to see Satan as the fallen creature that he is. He is not exalted in any of our circumstances. We do not acknowledge him. We live Heaven to earth. We speak the language of Heaven not the words of earth. You have a choice where you live. We need to see Satan as the fallen one that he is and the ancient curse over him, On your belly you will crawl all the days of your life. (Genesis 3) That is our job! We are to make sure the enemy stays on his belly and eating dust!
The words of Jesus went on to say, I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) This authority is not just some authority. It is not just a little bit of authority over some of the enemy’s power. Jesus gave us authority over ALL the power of the enemy! It is time for God’s people to rise up and declare who the God is. Jesus has totally defeated the enemy. The enemy has lost. He knows it. It is time for us to declare that the God of Heaven rules! Amen.
Behind the authority possessed by believers is a power infinitely greater than that which backs the enemy. You have to know - believe - that with your alignment with Heaven, the power and the authority in you is greater, greater, greater, than anything that the enemy has.
Resurrection Power
Behind the resurrection of Jesus there lies the greatest working recorded in the Word of God. His resurrection had been opposed by all the powers of the air - all principalities and powers - all might and all dominion - every name that was named - not only in this age but in the age to come. And with His resurrection, Jesus stripped the powers of the air of their authority.
We need to understand that behind these mighty workings of the risen Lord, everything that the enemy brings to you is really an opportunity that God allows to bring glorify to Himself. God uses even His enemies to glorify Himself. Don’t you agree?
During this time of recuperation from several surgeries, I was thinking about the two men on the road to Emmaus. We know that story in Luke 24. As I read it, I thought about these two men taking a walk and I am wondering why is this story newsworthy? Why is it recorded in the Bible? Big stuff had just happened. The resurrection had just occurred in John 24:1-12 and right following the resurrection (John 24:13-35) the Bible records a story of two men walking down the road. What is the big deal? What is it He wants us to learn from this? This event is so relevant because this incident happens every day in our lives.
These two men were not just walking, they were talking. They were having conversation. We do the same thing. We have conversations within ourselves - thoughts that come, self-talk - things that you can agree with - even in your mind - things that we say to one another that are similar to what they were saying. All the, What ifs? We thought He was going to redeem Israel. Maybe He cannot bring deliverance. What happened? We thought this would happen, but Jesus is dead. He is gone. It says in the word that they talked together about all the things that had happened, and they reasoned together.
Our minds can be a very fertile place. It is what we reason in our mind that can come out through our mouth. It forms a belief in our heart and we live out of what we believe. You speak out of what you believe in your heart.
The two men were walking together and reasoning together, and Jesus drew near and He began to walk with them, but their eyes were restrained. They could not recognize who He was. Jesus said, What kind of conversation were you having? Would you like Jesus to come along side you and say, What is this conversation about? Is it full of belief or unbelief? Is it the reasoning of your mind? Is it a negative hookup with another person? Is it soul power with a soul connection? Or is it something of the Spirit? That is food for thought.
We as women like to talk. What we say is of utmost importance. You can find yourself hooked in a soulish relationship with soulish - talk, that breeds unbelief and doubt – talk that will cloud your eyes, because of the reasoning of your mind.
So Jesus is now walking with these two. And He said, What kind of conversation are you having and why are you so sad?
Unbelief and doubt will make you sad. If you let your mind go down that path it will bring you down. There is no hope in unbelief or doubt. There is no life.
You see, the two men were reasoning about all the what ifs. And Jesus said, What kind of conversation is this and why is it making you so sad?
Without the truth of Heaven, without the light of Heaven, we live in hopeless situations.
I love what Jesus ended up saying to them. Oh foolish ones, slow of heart to believe. You see, it is with our hearts we believe. It is not with the reasonings of our mind. So Jesus said, Slow of heart to believe, why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets have spoken? And He began expounding the scriptures and the prophetic words of the scriptures, and as they broke bread together, their eyes were opened.
I believe we are living in an hour when our eyes are being opened in a deeper way and that revelation is upon us. I believe that He is asking us to step into the upgrade. I believe He is asking us to stop the reasonings of our mind - to stop asking all the what ifs or if onlys, and simply believe.
Will You Believe?
I would ask you tonight, What will you believe? What will you believe about the circumstances that you are in your life? Do you live out of the reasonings of your mind? Do you live with doubt and fear? Yes, you believe that Jesus came to save you, but He is asking you to upgrade your level of belief.
In Colossians 3:1-2 the scripture says, If you have been raised with Christ, seek those things that are above. Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth. That scripture is an invitation for you to change your address. It is an invitation for you to align yourself with Heaven, to enter through the gates with the password, I believe. We are on earth to bring a radiant idea of who God is to all we meet.
God is Able
Who is God to you? In the darkness of things you face, who is God to you? What do you believe? Who do you believe?
I said to you earlier that I have longed to see greater miracles in the body of Christ. I get to choose what I believe and have always believed. But then something comes to your door and you have a greater opportunity to upgrade your relationship with God.
Isaiah 43:2 says, When you pass through the water I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers they won’t overflow you. When you walk through the fire you won’t be burned nor shall the flames even scorch you. Do you believe that? That is a scripture we quote often.
Do we really believe that we can pass through anything and come out better, come out a miracle, or bring a radiant idea of who God is? Do you remember what Daniel said when he went into the fiery furnace? God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace. God is able to deliver you without even the smell of smoke.
God wants to so invade your space that you do not fit in that space any longer. Do you remember the scripture in Isaiah 54 that says the place where you live now; it is too small for you. You need to extend the borders of your tent, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. Maybe He was saying strengthen your stakes because He knew He was going to stretch you beyond where you have been stretched before.
One thing I know. The place where I have lived is too small. The place where Aglow has lived is too small. He is calling us up higher. It is all about divine displacement and keeping the enemy on His belly, eating dust.
Aglow has crossed a threshold.
Have you ever noticed that when you step into a new space, you don’t always know how to live in that space? It is new, it is different. Sometimes it feels like confusion. You are finding your way in a new place. It is alright. Hold steady.
God is renewing our minds. He has brought us to a certain level with Him, and now He is saying that level is too small a space. I am going to take you higher. Hold on and go for the ride.
You know the theme for this conference is Life Abundant. You are contending for abundance. It’s your inheritance. You will not be denied. But there is a password, and the password is, I believe.